TEDActive in reach for Pendoring winners

23 Feb 2013 08:03

The 2012 winners of the Pendoring Advertising Awards, creative directors Frank van Rooijen and James Yeats Smith, are off to TEDActive, as the recipients of the overseas study trip of R50,000, which forms part of the Prestige Award.

They were members of the 1984 team that conceptualised 'MK is', the campaign that won the Prestige Award. Given the pair's non-traditional approach to advertising, it is not surprising that they were elected to attend TED2013, one of the annual conferences organised by TED, a non-profit initiative devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Bringing together people from three worlds - technology, entertainment, design - TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and TEDConversations, the inspiring TEDFellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TEDPrize in addition to its two major conferences.

"After being invited to participate in this year's TEDActive conference in Los Angeles, it seemed an ideal opportunity for us to use the prize to finance the trip. We are grateful to Pendoring for being so open to new ideas and giving us the opportunity to attend the conference, work alongside brilliant lateral thinkers and be influenced by technological advances and innovations across a range of disciplines that are different, yet still related to ours," said Yeats Smith.

Van Rooijen added, "As soon as we learnt from Pendoring that our trip had been approved, we accepted the invitation to TEDActive, a curated community of curious and energetic leaders who share an immersive week of TEDTalks and surprising experiences designed to inspire conversation, exchange and immediate action around ideas worth spreading."

Mars One launch

"What makes this venture twice as exciting for us is that we're producing a film for the Dutch space company, Mars One, which aims to put a human settlement on Mars by 2023. The film will premiere at TED and announce some big news to the world," said Yeats Smith.

Forming part of a group of 20 diverse thinkers brought together by Intel, Yeats Smith and Van Rooijen will contribute to the formation of new ideas and concepts on the future of mobile technology.

"The findings from these workshops with Intel will weigh in on the future of mobile as we contribute to the discussion of the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, a major industry event happening at the same time as TED. The opportunity to interact on such a high level to produce something tangible is certain to be inspirational. We can't wait," van Rooijen said.

Pendoring chairman and MD of the ATKV Group, Japie Gouws, said Pendoring was delighted Yeats Smith and Van Rooijen had grasped the opportunity afforded them by the overseas study component of the prize with such enthusiasm.

"Yes, the award is about encouraging the use of Afrikaans and other indigenous language advertising and in that way respecting the heritage and traditions of all South Africans. However, it is also about looking towards the future, for seeking inspiration from beyond our geographic boundaries and outside of our social and professional comfort zones.

"They have elected to explore the interaction of technology, entertainment and design. The award committee is certain they will return armed with the knowledge to carry on making a positive contribution towards this industry we love."

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